Battery-plate filling machine



- "192 c. M. ANGELL BATTERY PLATE} FILLING MACHINE Original Filed March.15, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Kw wav R 1 s. M. ANGELL BATTERY PLATE FILLINGMACHINE I Original Filed March 15 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 C. M. ANGELLBATTERY PLATE FILLING MACHINE Origi nal Filed March 15., 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 1 in storage batteries,

provision of. improved means for moving Patented Get. 11. 1927.

CHESTER M. ANGELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; ABBIGNOB TO VESTA BATTERY COBEOBATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 01 ILLINOIS.

, BATTERY-rears rnmme madame.

Application filed larch 15, 1923, serial Ho. 825357. Renewed March 22,1928.

This invention relates to a machine which is to be used in thepreparation of plates used uch plates are usually made by casting a gridof lead or other suitable metal and then filling the spaces in thegridwith a suitable material. One of the principal objects of thisinvention: is the provision of improved means for 'filling'the gridswith paste.

Another ..bject of the invention is the and handling, the grids duringthe filling operation. r 7

Other and' further important objects of this invention will be apparentfrom the disclosures in the drawings and the accom- -pa yingspecification.

'g'he mvention, (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings andhereinafter more fully described.

011 the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a battery plate grid fillingplant.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the first unit of such plant.

Figure .3 is a section on the line 3-3 of F i re 2.

igure 4 is a side elevation of the front portion of the first unit.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5--5 of F i re .4.

igure 6 is a section on the line M of Figure 5;

As shown on the drawings: I

The grid filling plant com rises three units 10, 11 and 12. In'the oneside of the grid is filled; in the next 11, the other-side is filled;and, in the third 12, the side of the grid first filled is finished. Thepresent case relates more particularlyto improvements in the first unit.

The first unit 10 comprises a platform 13 supported by uprights 14.Above the platform 13 is another platform 15. On the latter platform isa paste box 16 and in front of the paste box is arranged the mechanismaste box.

for feeding grids through the a strip of This mechanism consists 0 aper23 which is passed along the machine neath the paste box. This paperstrip is supported by an endless belt 25 which at one end passes arounda drum 19. ,While this moving strip of paper 23 exerts considerable proelling efiort upon the 'ds; this isvnot cient to forcethe grids t roughthe paste under side of the next grid so that t rst unit 10,

has droppedbelow and therefore out of engagement with the lug of thegrid moved thereby, it has moved the latter a greater distance than the,depth of. the grid so that the next grid can drop down behind) it onthe platform 15. The pins also eniage the e stack is lif ted and themovement of the bottom gridls facilitated. The grids are stacked up onthe platform 15 with their lugs in en-' gagement with angle bars 17.Only the outer arm of each of the bars 17, however, extends downwards asfar as the ilatform 15 so that a space is leftbeneatht e other arm forthe-"passage of the lugs 18 of the lowermost grid, as shown in Figure 6.

To these angle bars 17'are attached other angle barsZl, and to these inturnare connected crossed braces The latter are secured to' members 33which are notchedfor detachable engagement with the front wall 34 ofthe. paste box. From each member 33 depends a-bar 35 to the lower end ofwhich are attached a pair of guides 27 adapted to engage the uppersurface of the grids adjacent their edges. Bars 35 are releasablyclamped to the wall 34 of the paste box by catches 53 (Fig. 5).

The bars 35 are connected near their upper ends by a brace 36 whichsupports by member37 the rear end of a guide 38 ads ted to engage thecentral portions of the gri s.

The forward end of the guide '38 is supported by a brace 30 extendingbetween a pair of brackets 29 attached to the'edge of the latform 15.

e lugs of the grids are guided by mmof members 26 adjustably carried bythe brackets 29.by means of screws 20.

The paste box 16 has journaled therein I requisite additional force isobof the drum 19 is such that before a pin I shaft-39 having arectangular cross-section over that part thereof which is the box. Toeach side of the squared portion of the shaft is attached a bladeor'trowel 40 which is adapted both to press the paste into the grid andalso to remove the greater part of the excess paste.

The front endof the paste box is supported by the lateral portions ofthe front wall 34 which rest on the ortion being space orm to allow ofthe therebeneath. I

The rear end of the paste box is supported by brackets 41 (Figure 3)which rest loosely upon brackets 42 attached to uprights 43 carried bythe frame of the machine.

The rear wall 44 of the paste box acts ascraper'to remove excess pasteand for that purpose is made adjustable. For this purpose there areattached the. end wall 44 ugs 45 which project over agjarpss bar 46carried by the side walls of the paste box by means of brackets 47. Inthreaded engagement with these lugs are screws 48, the lower ends ofwhich bear against the cross bar 46.

The scraper wall 44 is locked in adjusted position by a thumb screw 49mounted on a cross-bar 50.

The operation is as follows:

A stack of grids is placed with their lugs in engagement with the angles17 and the machine is started. The rotation of the drum 19 and partsconnected thereto causes the paper strip 23 and the endless belt toplatform -15, the central away from the platpassage of the grids moveunder the stack of grids. At the same time one pair of pins Ql'engagesthe lugs on the lowermost grid and moves it forward.

Then the next pair of pins pushes the next grid after the first so thata continuous line of grids is pushed through the machine.

In this movement the grids are guided by the guides 25, 27 and 38 sothat the line cannot buckle.

The grids then pass under the front wall 34 of the paste box and areoperated upon by the rotating blades or trowels 40.

Finally the grids pass under the scraper 44 which removes the excess ofthe paste.

I am aware that numerous details of construction may be varied through awide range without departing from the principles of this invention, andI-theref ore do not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise than.necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a machine for handling battery plate grids a platform. stackingmeans for the grids, a paste box above said platform, means for pushinga line of grids along said platform from said stacking means under saidpaste box by pressure upon the first grid in the line whereby the gridsare all maintained in contact wlth each other, and an endless web ofmaterial fed with said grids along said platform and upon which thelatter rest.

2. In a machine for handling battery plate grids, a platform. Stackingmeans for the grids and a paste box above said platform, slots in saidplatform adjacent each side thereof. :1 drum below said platform, studsupon the periphery of'the drum adapted to extend through the slots andengage the lowermost grid and more it along the platform towards thepaste box, and an endless web of material fed with said grids along saidplatform upon which the latter rest.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

CHESTER M. ANGELL.

